Vending machine



Nov. 15, 1927. 1,649,653

P. BOALS VENDING MACHINE Filed DECv 18,. 1925 INVENTOR WITNESSES J I 2[l B l gf fi W ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 15, 1927.

UNITED STATES .PATE.

POLK BOALS, on NEW Yonn, n. Y.; nicnnnn mar nas SAID BOALFS, DECEASED,ASEEIGNOR .YonK, n. Y. I

vnnnine I Application filed December This invention relates to vendingmachines.

The principal object of the present inven tion is to provide amachine'tor vending 'goods'or merchandise, which is characterized bymeans which will indicate to an attendant that a patron contemplatesmaking a purchase, and to indicate that the patron has deposited "acoin; themachine being; or". a "seltservice type and to be known as a,casheteria.

Another object of the present invention is to provide machine torvendinggoods or merchandise expeditiously and conveniently; a patron being ableto make a purchase without the assistance of anattendant.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-servlcevending machine which will be comparatively'simpleof con- I struction,which will be reliable in opera tion, and which will be comparativelyinexpensive. i i

The nature of the invention and its distinguishing features andadvantages will ap pear when the following specification is read inconpinction with the accompanying draw ing. in which: I

Figure 1 is a perspective viewot the machine of the present invention. ri

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken'substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1,and showing the condition of the working parts when the cover of thecasing of the machine is in a closed position.

Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the working parts just prior to thereleaseof the striker or clapper whichsounds one of the bellsto indicate thatthe cover of the casing of the machine is being opened.

Fig. tie a detail view on an 'enlargedscale illustrating some of theworking parts of the machine.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the element which actuates the strikeror clapper and the coin holding and releasingelement.

Fig.6 is a perspective view of the coin holding and releasing element.

The present invention in actual practice contemplates the use of acasing 10 which may be of any preferred design and construction. and inthe present instance constitutes a walled enclosure having" a cover 11hingedly connected as at 12 to thetront edge of the top wall 13. Thecover in the present instance is supported in a closed p0:

HALL, ADMINISTRATOBOF own-HALF so near a. onivrnnon, on NEW Miter-nun.

is, 19:25.. Serial an. rents.

sition at an angle and has a transparent panel 14 through which thegoods or merchandise may be viewed. The. goods or merchandise isarranged in one end of the casmg 10 which will be in the nature of amagazine for accommodating the. goods or merchandise which may be heldin individual packages or which may be held in quantlties in a singlereceptacle or container, such as a box of cigars for instance, indicatedat 15. In the present instance the box ofcigars is supported beneath thecover 11 on suitable supports 16 which are held in place in anysuitablemanner fromthe side walls of the casing 10. ity is to be noted thatthebox of cigars is supported at an angle to correspond substantially tothe angle of incl nation ot the cover 11. At the top'and rear of thecasing'lO there is provided a holder 17 which serves for holdingasuitable placard or advertiser, which will advertise the goods withinthe machine. It is known that cigarboxes usually carry onthe inside ofthe coverthereot alabel and such cover when removed from the box may bereadily placed in the holder 17, as indicated in Figs; 1, 2, and 3 ofthedrawing the cover being shown at 18.

"Inorder that it may be indicated to an attendant that a patron whocontemplates making a purchase has raised thecover 11 there is provideda means which operates in response to the movement of the door presvcntly tobe described, On the cover 11 is arranged an arm 19. The arm 19at the free end thereof is provided with a cam 20. Arranged foroscillation 'on a stud 21 carried by one of the side walls of the casing10 is an element 22. The element 22 is provided with a member 23 whoseedge 24 is disposed at an angle with respect toa vertical plane sideedges thereof. A striker or clapper 27 is provided which is suspendedfrom the stud 21 for oscillation. the said strikerbeing arranged betweena collar or nut 28 on the stud 21 and the element 22 so thatthe member25 will be engageable with a portion of "the striker 27 upon themovement of the element 122. The element 22 is moved in one direction hy-virtue of the coaction of the cam 20 on the arm 19 and the member 23when the cover 11 is raised; asshown most clearly in Fig. 3. After thecam rides oif the member 23, the element 22 and the striker 27, whichlatter has been raised with the element 22, under their own weightoscillate which results in the striker 27 striking a bell 29. The bell29 may be supported in any suitable manner, and in the present instanceis carried on a stud 30 carriedby a bracket 31 attached to a sidewall ofthe casing 10. p v

In order that apatron may deposit a coin and-that an attendant may beassured that a coin has been deposited in the machine there is provideda means which consists of arts and operates in a manner presently to bedescribed. Supported by the top wall 13 and extending into the interiorof the casing 10 near the back thereof is a coin chute 32 which isarranged directly over a bell 33 carried by an arm 3a which in turniscarri ed by a bracket 31. An element 35 Gin is employed, and the saidelement 35 is su pended for oscillation on the stud2l. The element 35 isprovided with a weight 36 and a coin' holding and releasin' member 37.The element 35 is arranged at Jacent the element 22 so that a portionthereof will be capable of engagement by the member 26 when the element22 is moved clockwise. The clockwise movement of the element 22 iseffected when the cover 11 is lowered, due

to the fact that the cam 20 will ride on the angular edge 24. Theelement 35v will, therefore, be caused to move with the element 22 in aclockwise direction and as a result themember 37 will be moved from itsnormal coin holding position beneath the outlet end of the coin chute-32to a position to one side of the outlet end of the coin chute so that acoin desposited in the coin chute will be allowed to dro on a: bell 33to cause the same to'ring. t is to he understood thatthe hells 29 and 33constitute sound producers, and each of the bells is of a distinctivetone. The idea whichwill ring when the cover 11 is 'aised to indicate toan attendant that a patron is about to select some of the-goods or merchandise in the machine and to have a second soundproducer, such as abell, which will ring': and be of a different tone or qualitydistinguishable from the tone of the other bell to indicate toanattendant that a coin has been deposited in the machine.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that there has been described amachine which is of the self-service type and some of its advantages may.be enumerated as follows: It saves time forthe patron or customer;obviates the ringin up of sales; obviates the issuance of sales ticketsand, therefore, reduces the cashiers work; permits attendants or clerksto serve more quickly other patrons or customers; and

segregates the receipts in connection with the particular product of"merchandise thus permitting a merchant to positively lruow each day theextent of its denumd.

It is to be understood that the ii'lvmitiou is not restricted to theprecise arrangeuurnl, of parts shown and described as details cl.construction may be modified and i-mlistitiitions may be made and thenirts rearranged having a cover capable of being raised and lowered forthe removal of an article of rn'er chandise in said receptacle, a coindepository, a signal rendered active by a cover operated means upon theraising of the cover, and a second signal rendered active by a coinwhich is released from said dcpository by acover operated means upon thelowering of the cover.

2. In a vending machine, a receptacle having a cover capalile of beingraised and lowered for the removal of an article of merchandise in saidreceptacle, a coin depository, an audible signal rendered active by acoveroperatedmeans uponthe raising of the cover, and a second audiblesignal rendered active by a coin which is released from said depositoryby a cover operated means upon the lowering of thecover.

3. In a vending machine, a receptacle having a cover capable of beingraised and lowered for the removal of an article of merchandise in saidreceptacle, a coin deposi .tory, an audible signalrendered active by acover operated means uponthe raising oi the cover, and a second audiblesignal of a tone'distinguishable from the tone of the first mentionedsignal, said second audible signal rendered active by a coin which isreleased from said depository by a cover oppp p erated means upon thelowering of the cover. 15 to have a sound producer, such as a bell,

4. A vending machine comprising a mer chandise receiving receptaclehaving a hingedly connected lid with a transparent panel, means in thereceptacle for support ing the merchandise beneath the lid, :1 hell,means operable in response to the raising of the lid for ringing saidhell, a coin chute, asecond bell in line with said coin chute below thesame. a coin holding and releasing member normally disposed at the lowerend of the coin chute, and means operable in re sponse to the loweringofthe lid for moving said member to release a coin in said coin chute topermit the coin to drop on. said second bell.

5. A vending machine comprising a melt chandise receiving receptaclehaving a hingedly connected lid with a transparent panel, means in thereceptacle for supporting the merchandise beneath the lid, a hell,

ill

1 ill means operable in response to the raising of the lid for ringingsaid bell, a coin chute, a second bell in line with said coin chutebelow the same, a coin holding and releasing member normally disposed atthe lower end of the coin chute, means operable in response to thelowering of the lid for moving said member to release a coin in saidcoin chute to permit the coin to drop on said second bell, and means"for returning the said memher to and for releasably maintaining thesaid member in a coin holding position beneath said coin chute.

6. In a vending machine, a receptacle hav ing a cover capable of beingraised and lowered for the removal of an article of merchandise in saidreceptacle, a coin chute extending into the interior of said receptaclea bell in line with said coin chute below the same, a coin holding andreleasing member having a normal disposition to hold a coin in saidchute, said memberbeing actuated by cover operated means to permit thecoin to drop out of said coin chute, the coin dropping on said bell tocause the same to ring, and means for returning said memher to itsnormal position.

7. A vending machine comprising a casing having a connected covercapable of being raised and lowered, a magazine in said casing for thereception of merchandise, a coin chute extending into the interior ofsaid casing, bells or" different tonal qualities, one of said bellsbeing arranged below said coin chute in line therewith, a strikermounted for swinging movement, means operable in response to the raisingof the cover for moving and releasing the striker so that the strikerwill swing under its own weight to strike and ring one of said bells toindicate that the cover has been raised, a coin holdin and releasingmember normally disposed at the'lower end of said coin chute to preventa coin placed in said chute from passing out of the same, means operablein response to the lowering of said cover to permit said coin to dropout of said coin chute which will drop on the other of said bells toring the same to indicate that a coin has been deposited, and means forreturning said member to and for releasably maintaining said member in acoin holding position.

POLK BOALS. v

